While their response has been welcoming by the civilized people, only their deeds will go to show if that was only a lip service or they truly meant it.
The U.S. is successful in protecting Israel at the U.N. because it has veto power as a UNSC member and it only takes a single veto to “kill” a resolution. Certainly, the U.S. will attempt to persuade the ICC not to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials; however, assuming the Court is truly independent and objective, any such attempt will not be a factor in the Court’s decision on the matter.
U.S. government officials threatening a Court with jurisdiction and its judicial officers is not only ignorant but anti-democratic, an abuse of official power and likely contrary to law. A number of the signatories should know better given that they are attorneys. I think I’ll send a letter of complaint to the state bar of each attorney signatory, along with a copy of their letter to the ICC, and request an immediate review of their conduct and all appropriate action be taken against them.
I am a NY attorney. I hope all requests for the review of written threats against an international Court and the judicial officers of such Court by U.S. senators who are licensed attorneys of a U.S. bar are taken very seriously as these attorneys are engaged in a flagrant and intentional attempt to interfere with the ICC’s independent and objective pursuit of justice. Any attempt to interfere with the legitimate pursuit of justice by a Court of competent jurisdiction is not only undemocratic but unethical. As an attorney, I will take all necessary actions to ensure that those who are attempting to interfere with and subvert the objective implementation of justice are held to account.
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
Richard, I thanked Michelle above and wish to express gratitude to you as well. Please note questions raised; if time permits, look forward to a legal opinion. Impunity for members of the state bar who are elected officials should end. When the complaints are filed, a press release ought to follow.
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut& & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
I’m not a lawyer, hopefully you are. Shouldn’t complaints arise from the states that issued the license to the signatories? Perhaps as an appeal to constituents of each signatory for letters and/or complaints to the appropriate state bar might be helpful. Would complaints be necessary or would letters suffice?
I am an attorney in NY. I worked as a corporate attorney at top tier law firms in NYC for more than 15 years. Yes, complaints from residents of the state where the attorney signatory is a senator would be particularly impactful. I would suggest filing a formal complaint to the state bar where the attorney signatory is licensed. If you give me a day or two, I will draft a formal complaint that you and others can use.
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
I like this but, will it matter? the whole state bar is probably bought and paid for. It's not like this is a private matter. They know about this already.
There's "what everybody knows," and then there's the official record. Don't be intimidated by their corruption. If decent people don't find a way to make their position a part of the public record, then these indecent senators will manipulate the public record to portray their position as the national consensus.
Make your position part of the record, no matter how futile they want you to believe it is.
And DEFINITELY follow Michelle's excellent example, of sending copies to the ICC, of the letters that you send to the state bars of these attorneys. It helps. You'll be giving the ICC tangible evidence that the senators do not speak for the American public (which they can pick up and wave in a senator's face, if they so choose).
Senators are literally using threats to obstruct international justice. You're right, and they're wrong. Be bold.
Amjad, a defeatist attitude is counterproductive. At times, even demoralizing. Ironically, I’m hopeful and grateful. Let’s support Michelle and Richard. Kudos to both! Join me in a virtual applause.
I cant believe how Zionism has infiltrated the US. This is an overwhelming threat to our supposed Democracy as well as our Constitution. Something must be done.
2024: We ALL had better get the apathetic 1/3 of all US-eligible voters to exercise their power to vote! for whomever you wish. Just vote. Everybody who can vote, must vote. Do not sit this one out!
The freedom of the regular citizen is at stake (I'm talking to you, poor white MAGA!!!).
In a Putinesque system (that means "Russia-type government") one person at head of enterprise with no checks and balances to quell one's nafs, you only thrive if you walk to the dark side and work with the criminals posing as government. The un-rich and connected low-level MAGAs all scream about FREEDOM - you will lose it, my children, with TrumpDumpty , unless you join and embrace the MOB. See, e.g., Sen. TIM SCOTT. https://twitter.com/SenatorTimScott .... @senatortimscott .... HOLY scheisen!! imho yitb
Stop using the word Zionism! It’s racist whether you know it or not. Israelis going anywhere. If you want to be constructive, then support a two state solution, instead of a pipe dream of believing Israel can be driven into the sea. Israel is a nuclear nation, and will destroy the entire Middle East before it surrenders to anyone.
And support for Israel, not Zionism, has been a staple in US relations going back to its formation. So whatever, your belief, at least be realistic or pragmatic.
I do not support Netanyahu or his right-wing government, but I have equal disdain for Hamas and every other Islamic terror group in the region.
And if you think Hamas are truly hero’s, then maybe you should ask the 75% of the Palestinian people who didn’t support Hamas, or believes they are a legitimate government or party. They rule by terror and fear.
If Israel is an occupying force, which they are, then so is Hamas. They haven’t held an election since 2006, when it won its only election with 35% of the vote.
The Palestinian Authority ran too many candidates for each parliamentary seat and they ended up cannibalizing each other; handing the government over to terrorists, bent on Israel’s destruction.
Zionism is an ideology, but the way it’s being used by the Pro-Palestinian movement is racist, because they don’t believe Israel should exist (from the river to the sea). Israel isn’t going anywhere. And Israel is no more an ideology than the Palestinian’s aspirations of a homeland.
Let’s remember, before the 67’ War, Israel proper was controlled by Britain. Gaza was controlled by Egypt, and The West Bank and Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan. There was never a Palestinian state because both Egypt and Jordan were against giving up any land to the Palestinians.
The UN declared a Palestinian state, side by side with Israel. Regardless of belief, the Palestinians never had a state prior to the UN mandate. And the international community is not going to displace Jewish people from the state they declared as the state of Israel.
If we want to claim rights, we’d have to go back to the times of the Babylonian’s and the first mass exodus. And Jews always came back. Even after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Jews and Muslims fought along side each other during the Christian crusades, before the Jews were slaughtered or expelled again. It’s been a vicious cycle of displacement and death for all.
I believe in a Palestinian state, but both people’s future are tied together. Believing you can force 8 million Jews from Israel proper, in itself, would be a genocide as well.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free doesn’t mean that Israeli people will in any way suffer. That’s not revenge, it’s liberation. It’s like claiming that the end of apartheid South Africa implied that the white population there would face oppression. That’s not racist. Being against white supremacy isn’t racism against white people. This is the same thing.
The origins of the chant are embedded in Hamas charter. “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free is laced with genocidal intent.
Its origins started in 1966, when the Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of the country’s current dictator, said: “We shall only accept war and the restoration of the usurped land … to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”
Hamas has claimed the slogan in their rejection of Israel in the mid 1990’s during the Oslo Peace negotiations.
So regardless of your intent, it has a more nefarious meaning for those committed to Israel’s destruction.
To be clear, being against Zionism and the settler colonial state that is Israel doesn’t mean that the people living in these lands would face oppression. I’m against Zionism and staunchly support the rights of all the people in these lands. I’d love for antisemitism and Zionism to disappear into the annals of history. The pro-Palestinian chant is not originally nor mostly used as a call to oppress Israelis. That some Palestinian extremists have used it this way means that those people are misusing the term. The college students and everyone else supporting Palestinians that use the chant want the liberation of Palestinians from Israeli oppression, not to reverse that oppression back to the millions of Israeli people.
The idea that oppressed people asking to be liberated want revenge as a general goal is in itself rooted in racism. This rhetoric was used by slaveowners, Americans and Canadians invading Native American and First Nation’s people’s land, pro-apartheid South African settlers, and now by pro-Israel talking heads.
Usually it's land and treasure the US coveted, disguised as a Christian mission - Manifest Destiny. Gold and land as God's reward for subduing the "savages."
Don't forget the Doctrine of Discovery out of the Pope that DECLARED AS TRUTH that lands without Christians are "unoccupied" and may be "discovered" and taken. Non-Christians were colonized into the discovering rulers. The Papal Bull of the Vatican so declared in 1493, not ironically, one year after Columbus bumped into the Western Hemisphere. The Church's current Pope Francis finally formally rescinded The Doctrine of Discovery in March 2023, a mere 503 years after it first hit the market. If only history could snap its fingers..... A brilliant analysis suggests the Doctrine, issued before Christians and Catholics separated into two in 1517ish, is a/[The?] Hidden Root of White Supremacy. Clearly, it is there for all too see, once it is brought to light. Check out robertpjones.substack.com. yitb
“The pro-Palestinian chant is not originally nor mostly used as a call to oppress Israelis. That some Palestinian extremists have used it this way means that those people are misusing the term.”
The origins of the chant are embedded in Hamas charter. “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free is laced with genocidal intent.
Its origins started in 1966, when the Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of the country’s current dictator, said: “We shall only accept war and the restoration of the usurped land … to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”
Hamas has claimed the slogan in their rejection of Israel in the mid 1990’s during the Oslo Peace negotiations.
So regardless of your intent, it has a more nefarious meaning for those committed to Israel’s destruction.
"From the river to the sea" is a Likud statement. Hamas charter does not use the phrase. Please stop saying that the phrase is "laced with genocidal intent" (unlike Bebe's Amalekites reference). Maybe just referencing the Hamas charter intent for dissolution or extinction of the State of Israel would be just as effective?
Not sure what source you used, but the slogan has its origins before the establishment of the Israeli state by Zionists. It was then used by the PLO in the 60s for them wanting a state which encompassed the occupied territories which did include removing the Israelis currently living there. Moving people forcibly is genocidal in nature, but given that at the time many of those calling for that were literally driven out of their homes, I understand the sentiment. The usage of the term has a varied range and seems often relies on context. The term has also been used by Netanyahu to insinuate that Israel will occupy the entire land.
In the context I and many others for Palestine use it in, it includes or insinuates “Palestine will be free.” As in we want an end to the occupation and peace for all people within it. You can’t just claim that pro-Palestine protesters have nefarious intent and are using it that way because you’re just demonizing a whole movement and excluding crucial context of the actual goals.
It's not racist to use the term. It could be argued that the idea is a racist idea. Anti-Zionist Jews have made it clear that they use that term for themselves. It is a POLITICAL position. It is "racial" in that it defines a political identity for a socio-cultural-religious identity. People's views on the political project of a Jewish State run the gamut - one state (no more strictly Jewish definition of citizenship), two-state, or undecided. There doesn't seem to be an ethical dispute over the position that all people who subscribe to Judaism ought to be able to practice their religion in peace all over the world, regardless of any political borders in place. What seems to be a problem, however, is the litany of excuses that arise when the assertion is made that Palestinian people have the right to exist in peace, wherever they may be existing, and especially in the location where they have already been existing for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Everyone needs to examine these terms and their usage. What is a problem is the use of money and weapons by both governments and individuals in enforcing the restriction of basic human rights to a specific group of people and using the term "terrorism" to deflect scrutiny from the root causes of the conflict at hand. "Semitic" actually refers to all people who speak a semitic language. In modern times, that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and others. Even Wikipedia has a robust explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languages People who want to contest that "semitic" only includes "Jewish" people are just claiming an anti-factual colloquialism that is a reflection of their unwillingness to learn, grow, and change through examination of the facts. In America, keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of the population over Age 55 has NOT gone to college. And most college graduates do not continuously read or learn or even maintain open, inquiring minds. What has changed is the QUALITY of education at both high school and college, not to mention the current events influencing each generation's focus. Hence, the younger generations having a more informed view that is more thoroughly documented than for previous generations. Another piece feeding into this situation is that Israel's own "New Historians" didn't start publishing until the 1980s. Their work was not readily available in America until after that. So we are struggling with GENERATIONS who are ignorant of the documented evidence that was brought to light by these scholars. Of course, there is also "white" and Christian bigotry in play. There are plenty of Jews/Israelis who embrace the term "Zionist" with full clarity that they want a land for Jews only. They want citizenship of that land to be defined by Judaism. They are not hiding from this term or the idea that there should be a nation state that is restricted to those who belong to the Jewish identity. Meanwhile, Americans should question why so many of our tax dollars are going to such a project when it is one that is wholly antithetical to the equality that we have struggled to build here.
Israel has never agreed to give a future Palestine territorial sovereignty, but insists on maintaining a military presence there. It also refuses to give Palestinians the right of return as it is specified in the Geneva Conventions.
Agreed, but that is Netanyahu’s and his fascist government’s position, not the state of Israel. Both sides were close to an agreement during the Oslo Accords. It can be reached today.
When this war ends, the world needs to intervene like it did after’WW2, and force a settlement regardless of what either side wants.
Otherwise, it’s rinse, lather repeat: and the next incursion will be two to three years away. Only deadlier and more costly for both sides.
There is no winning for either side; just varying degrees of losers. Any victory by either side would be pyrrhic…:)
I empathize with your views and I know your right that Hamas is worthless politically and culturally. I also realize that we may have different definitions of what racism is in that I view Netanyahu as an American racist and that his views are based on a peoples' melanin content. I would like to see Palestine AND Israel share the land from the river to the sea but it's not going happen in my lifetime but in the lifetimes of the people that call that shared land home.
I agree with you. Netanyahu and his right-wing fascist government is no better than Hamas, but saner minds need to prevail. Otherwise, both are doomed, but the Palestinians will suffer more in the short run.
Uhh..., is "American racist" a type, a category, a pejorative? ... What meaning has it when referencing Netanyahu, apparently the big boss in Israel right now. Able to ignore the chants from the street to "knock it off." Hanging on fully, first and only for himself.
Should Israel exist or not is a question that anyone should/must ask. We are here to challenge and discuss all ideas. Israel being a nuclear nation does not give it the right to steal land / kill people / ... do whatever it wants. Because if so, every nuclear nation, can invade a non-nuclear nation and do the same and tell the world not to ask any question about its existence. For me : asking people not to question "Israel existence" is part of the propaganda narrative.
I never said being a nuclear nation gives anyone the right to kill or oppress. I’m just stating that for those whose goal is the destruction of Israel, it’s unrealistic.
Israel is also the third largest economy in Western Asia after Turkey and Saudi Arabia. They are the most technologically advanced nation in the region. Its education is the best in the region. International capital for the tech sector is only second to Silicon Valley.
My point is for all of us to push for a two state solution, because whether we like it or not, their fates are tied together…:)
You wrote "Israel is a nuclear nation, and will destroy the entire Middle East before it surrenders to anyone". This is the sentence I was referencing.
The two state solution is illusional. How can you share a land with someone who has already stolen 85% of it? Have you seen the settlements? Have you seen the number of armed settlers? ... etc. What will be the borders of this two-state solution? A new concentration camps? ... Come on !
It would be based on the original UN partition with land swaps to create a continuous land border between Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Any solution won’t be easy, but what’s the alternative? Israel picks up and leaves? That is the pipe dream. Like it or not, this is the only outcome that doesn’t lead to additional death and destruction.
In my opinion and observations, the two state solution has always been a farce to maintain the Zionist status quo. Could you imagine if South Africa created two states within one. White people over here and indigenous black people over there. Nothing would have changed. Only lines drawn.
The PA is just as corrupt as Hamas. Zionism, by the was, is not racist.
Google: "Zionism. European Jewish movement of the 1860s and 1870s that argued that Jews return to their holy land; eventually identified with settlement in Palestine. World Zionist Organization. Founded by Theodor Herzl to promote Jewish migration to and settlement in Palestine to form Zionist state. Western Front."
I’m familiar with that. But it was the most recent return of many. My point: Jews have returned for millennia after being forcibly removed during several mass exodus’s.
I’m not saying the use of the word Zionism is in itself racist, but many people commenting have used the phrase “dirty zionists”, which is a slur and used as a racist dog whistle; no different than the phrase “from the river to the sea.”
These are US senators, who are supposed to uphold the laws! Very shameful that these politicians are so desperate to save Natanyahoo, the war criminals of the 21st century, that they started bullying the ICC judges! Why does ICC exist? Because of what happened to Jewish people in Germany! Now the rules changed? Because they do not like the Middle East? This is a laughable act on mature politicians! The very people, who are supposed to protect unarmed civilians are giving the green light to RAFA invasion! In the name of democracy, how many countries are invaded? Do your math! Disgusting acts by these so-called protectors of law and order!
“In a terse, one-page letter obtained exclusively by Zeteo, and signed by 12 GOP senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Florida’s Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz of Texas, Khan is informed that any attempt by the ICC to hold Netanyahu and his colleagues to account for their actions in Gaza will be interpreted “not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States.”
Move along folks, nothing to see here. These imbeciles are “All Pomp, and No Circumstance!” Last I checked, Biden is President and democrats control the senate.
These shenanigans are more reason the protesting college students need to rethink their positions against Biden, since a Trump win, and republicans retaking the senate, will have dire consequences for the US and world.
And consider what happens to the courts should Trump win and republicans retake the senate? Trump will secure a Republican fascist court for the next four decades, and also control every circuit and district court in the country.
They will rule by judicial fiat, regardless of whether democrats ever take over the executive branch and Congress. Any major legislation will be tied up in the courts for years, even after the presidency is over. Let that sink in.
What’s happening in Gaza is atrocious, but a Trump presidency will mean far worse things to come for all of us. Register and Vote Blue down the ticket in November; our lives depend on it!…:)
No, it’s just you believe Presidents have more power than they do. They are responsible for holding international coalitions together, for which Israel is a major player in the region.
You need to get off your high horse because it’s childish. As Benjamin Disraeli (PM of Britain in 1860) said, “Countries have no friends, only interests.”
Don’t honestly believe any country when it believes its survival is at stake, will ever submit to another’s ultimatums?
Look no further than Ukraine. We convinced them to give up all 20k nukes (third largest stockpile in the world at the time) after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1993 (Bucharest Memorandum); with Russia, France, Britain and China as signatories. It guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty over its existing territory.
They agreed, and look at them now? In America, we have elections every four years for President; they are renters, not owners of the Whitehouse.
Every country in the world knows that the next administration could rip up an agreement, or negate treaties negotiated by the previous administration. See Trump and the JCPOA, NAFTA, Paris Accords, etc…
So please wake up and understand what’s truly at stake with this election.
I would not know where to start with your many fallacies.
"Presidents have more power than they do. They are responsible for holding international coalitions together"
No, Presidents are responsible to up hold the rule of law and as for the international coalition go, multiple UN votes have proven where the International community stand and the US is the only one opposing their will.
"As Benjamin Disraeli (PM of Britain in 1860) said, “Countries have no friends, only interests.”"
Only a Zionist will argue that complicity in a genocide is in the interest of the USA.
"Don’t honestly believe any country when it believes its survival is at stake, will ever submit to another’s ultimatums?" Yet another Zionist/AIPAC propaganda that the survival of Israel is at stack. The only thing in reality that is at stack is the continuation of an illegal OCCUPATION.
"Every country in the world knows that the next administration could rip up an agreement, or negate treaties negotiated by the previous administration. See Trump and the JCPOA, NAFTA, Paris Accords"
Again by your own notion, you have proven that this system that we have been operating under has been unreliable and untrustworthy since it is only good for 4 years. Not to mention that the system has become so corrupt that is hard to tell apart a Democrat from a Republican.
What world do you live in? Biden doesn’t want a genocide, but countries are only willing to commit so much to a cause, unless it includes a national interest.
We didn’t defend the Tutsi’s in Rwanda from the Hutu’s in the mid 90’s because we didn’t have a national interest to do so; allowing the slaughter of almost a million people in six months. It’s called realpolitik. It may not be right, but it’s reality.
And really? You don’t want to support a genocidal country? Are you on TikTok? Do you buy Chinese goods from Amazon or any American company? Because guess what? Most of our goods are produce in China and China is committing a genocide against their own people.
Have you Ever heard of the Uyghurs? There’s a genocide occurring as we speak by the Chinese.
Have you been to Myanmar (formally Burma)? Guess what? A genocide has been happening for over a decade. Where in the world or UN for that matter?
How about the 500k massacred in Ukraine by an invading Russian force? Nothing? Or how about when Assad killed over 500k Syrian’s during the Arab Spring? What’s a matter? Nothing? No outrage?
How about Durfur? There is a genocide taking place right now: where’s your outrage? These people are Muslim too. How about Yemen? Are you boycotting Iran or the Saudi’s or UAE? I didn’t think so, just the Jewish state of Israel.
Get back to me when you show the same outrage for the people of these countries as you do for the Palestinians. Except you won’t, and don’t. It’s all about the filthy Zionist Jews with you.
Good luck with your faux outrage for one of many wars that have brought famine, pestilence and death to so many people across several continents. You’ll neeed it!
Figuratively, approximately 30 years ago. Please review Biden’s extensive political record.
During his career, he has often prioritized the interests of Israel ahead of the interests of the U.S., notwithstanding the fact that there was no “upside” for the U.S. or Middle East peace and his decision to do so often put Americans around the world in unnecessary danger or caused them to be killed. The current conflict is a case in point— three Americans are confirmed dead and it’s believed that five are still being held hostage.
In any event, the U.S. president has a great deal of leverage over Israel’s PM. More so than any other leader in the world. Remember when Ronald Reagan made one call to Netanyahu regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon? One phone call is all it takes if the true intention of the U.S. president making the call is, in fact, to cause Israel to reverse course.
The U.S. provides Israel with nearly $4 billion in aid every year and tens of billions every time Israel takes extended military action against one of its neighbors— just two weeks ago, the U.S. approved $26 billion in aid to Israel. In addition, the U.S. regularly provides Israel with political cover at the U.N., through the exercise of its UNSC veto power— which it has used 46 out of 85 times to block resolutions critical of, or unfavorable to, Israel. And, at times, the U.S. did so when Israel was in clear violation of international law.
All Biden has to do in order to force Israel to reverse course is pick up the phone and tell Netanyahu that the U.S. will no longer defend, fund, arm or provide political cover to Israel if offensive operations continue— but Biden refuses to do it despite the displacement of approximately 1.4 million civilians, 35K dead, 78K maimed and injured, horrific atrocities and catastrophic destruction.
“In any event, the U.S. president has a great deal of leverage over Israel’s PM. More so than any other leader in the world. Remember when Ronald Reagan made one call to Netanyahu regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon? One phone call is all it takes if the true intention of the U.S. president making the call is, in fact, to cause Israel to reverse course.”
It was a different time. And Israel didn’t leave because of Reagan, they had suffered its most serious casualties since the Yom Kippur War, and was already in retreat since the South Lebanon Army (its ally) had collapsed at the time.
And don’t even go there with Reagan. After Hezbollah bombed our Marine Barracks in Beirut and our Embassy, it was the US who left in disgrace. And instead of going after Hezbollah, Reagan invaded Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean.
And 30 years of Biden policy was no different than any other politician at the time. Biden may support Israel against your liking but Kushner is personal friends with Bibi. Bibi used to stay at Kushner’s family home in NJ when Bibi was the opposition leader.
Look what Trump did in office. He allowed Israel to annex the Golan Heights. He made Jerusalem Israel’s capital and allowed Netanyahu to implement its most draconian policies ever.
So go ahead and vote for a third party, or not at al, but do so at your own peril, because in the end, it’s democrats that are willing to help the Palestinians, not republicans.
Netanyahu doesn’t even solicit the support of most American Jews because his greatest champions in the US aren’t Jewish (outside of a few powerful billionaires); they’re the Evangelicals.
And the Evangelicals believe that Israel needs to control all of Judea and Samaria before the rapture occurs. Then both Jew and Muslim alike, are going to hell.
So good luck with that, you are digging your own grave..:)
I didn’t make any claims about Trump or Kushner, both of whom I consider to be ignorant, narcissistic sociopaths who only care about money and power, nor did I suggest I would sit out the next election or vote for a third party candidate.
I disagree, the Democrats aren’t “willing to help the Palestinians.” They say they are, but they’re not. And Biden certainly has no interest in helping them. Several who have worked closely with him for years have said that he listens to reports and intelligence but seldom expresses any interest in, or compassion for, how the Palestinians are treated or forced to live by Israel.
If the Democrats were serious about improving the lives of the Palestinian people, they’d have been diligently working toward implementing a two state solution or, at a minimum, improving relations between Israel and the PA during the past 25 years. They should have used a carrot and stick approach with Israel— up to and including major changes in U.S.-Israel policy. Instead, they’ve been sitting on their hands and, worse, supporting everything Israel has done with full knowledge that Netanyahu had no intention of ever agreeing to a two state solution and, in fact, was doing everything in his power, whether legal or illegal, to ensure that would never happen including, without limitation, stealing Palestinian land, building settlements at a record pace, paying Hamas obscene sums of money in order undermine and weaken the PA under the theory of divide and conquer.
The Democrats know that Israel is a lawless, anti-democratic state and Netanyahu is a corrupt, pathological liar who only cares about staying in power and out of prison, yet most of them fully embrace both at the expense of the Palestinian people. Actions speak louder than words.
“If the Democrats were serious about improving the lives of the Palestinian people, they’d have been diligently working toward implementing a two state solution or, at a minimum, improving relations between Israel and the PA during the past 25 years.”
Democrats tried and failed, both in the 90’s and in the early 2000’s. Somehow you believe that America alone can solve this issue, when it’s the two parties that have failed to arrive at an agreement.
I’m done trying to explain what happens when Trump wins and it will be people like you that will be the blame.
First off, you guys are on your own. Any sympathy that many of us with Experion life is gone. And when you get the government you deserve, you’ll get it good and hard.
And progress this country will have made will go back decades. Education, women reproductive rights. Freedoms as you know it, all gone.
So good luck with your protest. I’m sure your little movement will make all the difference. It won’t, except it could hand the presidency to Trump.
Remember Vietnam? The protests then dwarfed this movement, and guess what? The war didn’t end and it was an American War, not a foreign nation’s war.
It did put Nixon in the Whitehouse though, and he went on to expand the war further; for six more years.
I’m glad you brought that up about Evangelical Christians belief that Israel must control all of Judea & Samaria so that the “Rapture” can occur. I only just learned that little tidbit about 6-8 months ago.
Do devout Catholics also hold that belief? If so, perhaps that, in addition to massive amounts of donations from AIPAC, colors his very favorable stance toward Israel.
I only recently heard Biden refer to himself as a Zionist & I was dismayed at that.
There have been some excellent comments on this article, I almost always learn something from reading them. I also wish the Israelis & Palestinians could just share the the entire area & share governance, but I realize that is likely a pipe dream.
It is so disheartening to think about all of the billions in aid that has been sent to Gaza over the years & knowing that probably a vast majority of it was spent building those 500 miles of concrete tunnels.
What kind of flourishing society could have been built with that money??
I have said that I am going to vote uncommitted in the *primary* to register my anger at Biden for not being tougher on Netanyahu, but will vote Biden in the general because we just cannot survive another Trump administration. The disaster of allowing more extremely conservative religious judges to get appointed to Federal lifetime positions is horrifying & will stymie any forward progress for decades.
Biden is not the leader of any country except for the USA. He can talk to other nations, send delegations of peace speakers, but in the end other nations are sovereign and do what they wish.
I don't think many people believe that. More like Netanyahu runs the US via AIPAC. He snaps his fingers and ol' Joe writes the checks. I hope he's been practicing writing his zeroes!
If you do not vote for Biden, and IF Trump wins, you will have your voice SILENCED. IF you are female you will be relegated, along with black and brown people, to the back of the bus. So, have your protests, peacefully, because today it is your right. However, when November comes THINK about what you are about to do - what you are giving up and how it will affect yourself and other around you.
"If you do not vote for Biden, and IF Trump wins, you will have your voice SILENCED"
For one thing you don't know that for sure and a scare tactic goes to show that your side does not have much to offer. Secondly, my voice is already being SILENCED. Have you noticed to what is happening in our schools, our work place? How many people have lost their jobs, their livelihood just because they raised their voice. So what you are scaring people of is already happening.
I don't know what your statement about "your side" is meant to purvey, but I would ask you how your voice has been silenced? I do know what is going on at my local schools and I'm proud of the brilliant minds that are being brought into society through graduation. With the mind-boggling number of new jobs that have been created recently, I venture to guess you are talking about people who corporations have dealt with. I am certain that some of them get away with dismissing people for unacceptable reasons, but except for during the former administration, "whistleblowers" have always been protected.
I was not attempting to scare anyone, but I did state the obvious. If you have time read the Project 2025 and the interview in the April 30, 2024, Times Magazine, you can get a glimpse of what is being planned should Biden not win reelection.
No, I am not talking about economy but silencing the critics of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We heard today that about 2500 students nation wide has been arrested for their peaceful protest. We know countless of journalist have been fired for questioning Israeli narrative of this war, Mehdi Hasan has been one of them who now you have joined his platform since his firing and the so many who have lost their job. In the Congress we saw passing a law supported by both parties that will criminalize any criticism of Israel. If these are not silencing our voices, I am not sure what it would be.
I fully understand what tRUMP stands for but I have also learned what Biden stands.
'Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me'
The trouble with that, is who else are you going to vote for? The U.S. election system is rigged in favor of the two party system so the citizens are damned if they do and damned if they don't. The end is nigh for the empire of the United States.
That's the pickle a lot of us are in. Do we hold our noses and vote for Biden? I have rarely voted FOR a politician. I vote against them. But we have two very shitty choices this time.
A metaphor. I agree, they can run but the deck seems to be always stacked against them for power reasons. Now, if someone had enough millions to outspend the other two parties, they might stand a better chance but when have we ever seen that. Maybe we ought to change that given what the two parties are giving us for candidates?
Terrance: look at all other countries. It always seems to be a matter between the conservative and liberal way of thinking and values. The role of money is really the huge problem in terms of how campaigns operate. In the US it is such a long period that there is no way one can run it with no funds. I wish they would go to what the UK does by limiting it to six weeks.
When it comes to having another party to put forth a candidate, someone commented on a thread or in an article I read, that it takes a foundation being built. People have to start by electing people from that party to county commissioner, state representatives & senators, then to Federal offices. A third party is never going to win by just floating a candidate for the top spot, president, every 4 yrs. So, whether it’s the Green Party or another that you like better, you & those who join you have to learn to play the long game to achieve the prize; just like the anti abortion, anti Affirmative Action conservatives did over the last 40 years to get all the current district, appellate, & Supreme Court justices in place to get them the decisions they wanted.
And after you hold Biden responsible and help secure a Trump victory, then what? Do you think you will ever be in a position to hold Trump accountable?
The DOJ can’t even hold him accountable when democrats are in charge, yet you think you will have any rights left after Trump assumes office and destroys the Republic as we know it?
Good luck with that, and quite frankly you naïveté is going to backfire and all of us will pay, but especially our liberal youth.
And in the end, you will have no one else to blame but yourself. And don’t expect the rest of us to give a damn either!
If I am going to self sensor and not hold a genocide-enabler President accountable, then why would it matter if I am not going to be able to hold the next president accountable or not. By your logic, I do have that ability now and refuse to use it in the fear that I MIGHT not have the ability in the feature.
"and destroys the Republic as we know it" This by itself may be a worthy goal as "this republic as we know it" has been ever more so dysfunctional for the ordinary people and frankly, due to abuse of its power, for much of the world. So, it might be better to accelerate this decay of our system so it can be rebuilt better and sooner.
“It might be better to accelerate this decay of our system so it can be rebuilt better and sooner”. Do you have any idea of what you are speaking of? 100% lack of a realistic take…
“A fast and complete decay”? You clearly are a heartless, naive boy-man, without children or family to care about. And if you do they’re faith is misplaced citizen. Revolution and chaos sound great to the young and the idealist and the incel adjacent chest thumping glory seeker, but this type is the enemy of civilization and of humanity at the end of the day, and the enemy of a unified working class people. Since the time Thucydides first wrote up his account of the Peloponnesian War NO ONE who can read can say they haven’t been warned about what civil war and prolonged violent social conflict does to reduce men and women and their behavior to include the most disgusting, vile and depraved acts and policies. THAT is what your stupid suggestion advocates for. Go read it. Thucydides is restrained in his description but simply take the simple descriptive words at their literal meaning and just imagine for yourself what they describe. Horrific. Years of it. So people who think like you are dangerous enemies of the rest of us, who want to achieve goals … not tear each other apart in the name of some distant goal.
The ideal path forward is never to be found in violent palingenesis. Alliance is nuanced and requires patience with firm commitment to values and to a group sometimes larger and more varied than just that which your single issue focus might indicate. Anyone that advocates for the rapid decay into chaos of the society in which I LIVE in order to further the agenda of a place in which I DO NOT LIVE is no friend of mine. You’re foolish enough to bring deeper misfortune upon yourself here, and by doing so risk my children and ME, an otherwise committed ally to your cause thanks only to your zeal? Think again citizen. Enlarge your view and perhaps you might yet achieve the goal you seek. But lashing out at whomever happens to be prominent and nearby to you when you’re feeling vexed is … well … childish. Better grow up and consider the situation in its complexity before using what power you do have, if you’re to use it effectively.
There are many who feel that too. Too many in my generation who protested the Viet Nam War, marched for women’s rights, tried to have equal opportunities for all, started having families & careers & fell asleep at the wheel of politics & didn’t notice the Federalist Society & Leonard Leo quietly working to put all of these extremist conservative hyper-religious judges in place all over the country & in the scotus.
It is going to take decades to shift the courts back toward a more liberal view. In the meantime, many will suffer the consequences.
What a bunch of thugs. These are not senators they are mafia. They don’t support the rule of law in the US or internationally. And of course, because it relates to Palestinians, there are no lengths that these bloody hypocrites will go to deny their legitimate aspirations and rights.
I thought after reading this that perhaps this was a joke, but seeing tom cottonmouth and turd cruz as signatories, i knew it wasnt. This mafioso posturing is absolutely ridiculous. No wonder the world literally hates us. How embarrassing.
I am 100% sure that threatening a court is a crime in itself and therefore the ICC not only should issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his criminal Zionist cabinet thugs but also to to these American criminal Senators and thugs who are protecting Israel allowing it to continue with its genocide and war crimes in Palestine!
AIPAC is the head of the venomous Zionist snake and is a terrorist organization funding Criminal zionists like these American thugs who should be prosecuted and banned worldwide.
It appears that the senators of the confederate fascists of Amerikkka are intent on covering the asses of the zionist fascists of Israel. These fake Americans have no concept or conscious because of their nationalistic fears. The people of Israel know what the problem is and are trying to rectify it. It's time for Americans to realize their elected officials need to be changed to prevent the morass of decline these grifting crooks are offering.
United States of Israel ... Ladies and gentleman.... Don't be surprised if a decade from now all laws and regulations in Israel is a standard practice in USA. I mean they already monitor you from your smart phones and all the picture you take with "AI" being a big thing now .. it's really really sad where everything is going.... May God help us all
Once again the bully boys and girls of the US Senate unite to threaten the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with "Consequences" if he issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu etc al. Despite not being signatories of said ICC these brave, upstanding cowards threaten and browbeat an officer of an International Court simply for doing his job. The jurisdiction has been legally established, and War Criminals like Netanyahu, Gvir and Smotrich must be held accountable for their Genocidal actions and Hate Speech against the captive Civilian Population of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. International law must be defended, and upheld. If not, we're all complicit in Mass Murder. Gaza has become one giant Mass Grave! Justice must prevail. Free Palestine.
The world is seeing in real time the true character of the US Congress and the US Government.
These people are shameless. They are charged with making laws and bringing justice and peace in this Judeo Christian America annd maybe the world. And like their mob bosses they are intimidating and threatening the courts. Like the genocidal hugger, are they all Zionists ? they seem to be licking the boots of Bibi. How shameful are these holders of high office in the super power, the USA. Total betrayal.
Fortunately, it appears that the head of the ICC will not be intimidated by these thugs who also constitute a major threat to US democracy.
While their response has been welcoming by the civilized people, only their deeds will go to show if that was only a lip service or they truly meant it.
True. The US has enormous success in making the UN back off, so it could do the same with the ICC.
The U.S. is successful in protecting Israel at the U.N. because it has veto power as a UNSC member and it only takes a single veto to “kill” a resolution. Certainly, the U.S. will attempt to persuade the ICC not to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials; however, assuming the Court is truly independent and objective, any such attempt will not be a factor in the Court’s decision on the matter.
Obviously they are making that attempt and as they have done to the UN, to render it useless, do with the ICC
U.S. government officials threatening a Court with jurisdiction and its judicial officers is not only ignorant but anti-democratic, an abuse of official power and likely contrary to law. A number of the signatories should know better given that they are attorneys. I think I’ll send a letter of complaint to the state bar of each attorney signatory, along with a copy of their letter to the ICC, and request an immediate review of their conduct and all appropriate action be taken against them.
Great idea - I will do the same from Washington (state), WSBA #11916 (1981)!!
I am a NY attorney. I hope all requests for the review of written threats against an international Court and the judicial officers of such Court by U.S. senators who are licensed attorneys of a U.S. bar are taken very seriously as these attorneys are engaged in a flagrant and intentional attempt to interfere with the ICC’s independent and objective pursuit of justice. Any attempt to interfere with the legitimate pursuit of justice by a Court of competent jurisdiction is not only undemocratic but unethical. As an attorney, I will take all necessary actions to ensure that those who are attempting to interfere with and subvert the objective implementation of justice are held to account.
Thanks Michelle: You've given me 85% of my declarative paragraph, if you do not mind me plagiar .... using it. We good?
Sure. I have a draft letter but am having trouble uploading it. I might have to cut & paste
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
Sincerely,
Attachment [be sure to attach the Senate Letter]
Richard, I thanked Michelle above and wish to express gratitude to you as well. Please note questions raised; if time permits, look forward to a legal opinion. Impunity for members of the state bar who are elected officials should end. When the complaints are filed, a press release ought to follow.
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut& & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
Sincerely,
Attachment [be sure to attach the Senate Letter]
Michelle, thank you; time is of the essence.
I’m not a lawyer, hopefully you are. Shouldn’t complaints arise from the states that issued the license to the signatories? Perhaps as an appeal to constituents of each signatory for letters and/or complaints to the appropriate state bar might be helpful. Would complaints be necessary or would letters suffice?
I am an attorney in NY. I worked as a corporate attorney at top tier law firms in NYC for more than 15 years. Yes, complaints from residents of the state where the attorney signatory is a senator would be particularly impactful. I would suggest filing a formal complaint to the state bar where the attorney signatory is licensed. If you give me a day or two, I will draft a formal complaint that you and others can use.
Did you give up on the idea of a sample letter?
Here’s a form letter. Had to cut & paste bc I wasn’t able to upload.
[Date]
[Name of State] Bar Association
Attn: Disciplinary / Grievance Committee
[street address]
[city, state zip code]
Re: Complaint Against [Full Name of Senator Attorney]
To whom it many concern:
My name is [_____________] and I reside at [_________________]. I am writing to formally complain about the recent action(s) taken by Senator [________], who is a licensed attorney in [name of state] and my state senator.
As you may be aware, Senator [_________] recently signed on to a letter (the “Senate Letter”) addressed to Mr. Karim A. A. Khan K of the International Criminal Court (the “ICC”) at The Hague in The Netherlands regarding the ICC’s investigation into the actions of certain Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, relating to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Specifically, whether the actions of any such officials rise to the level of war crimes which would obligate the ICC to file one or more applications for arrest warrants. For your convenience, I have attached a copy of the Senate Letter hereto for your review.
Although Senator [_________], in his official capacity as a senator of the state of [name of state], has the right, if not the obligation, to address domestic and international matters that may impact [his or her] constituents or the United States of America, the senator does not have the right to intimidate or threaten a court official nor does [he or she] have the right to interfere with, impede or improperly influence an ongoing investigation by a court of competent jurisdiction and, as a licensed attorney, Senator [________] knows, or should know, that doing so is unethical and likely violates international law. Nonetheless, Senator [_________] did just that when he signed on to the Senate Letter, which expressly provides: “[t]arget Israel and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates, and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.” This language is a blatant effort by Senator [________] and the other signatories to intimidate ICC officials and influence their actions.
I respectfully request that you investigate this matter and take all appropriate action within your authority to discipline Senator [_________] and ensure that [his or her] conduct comports with [state’s] ethics.guidelines and all applicable law going forward.
Sincerely,
Attachment [be sure to attach the Senate Letter]
Thanks -- as far as I can determine Britt, Cotton and Cruz are the only lawyers among the signatories.
McConnell, Hagerty, Rubio and Rick Scott are also attorneys.
I like this but, will it matter? the whole state bar is probably bought and paid for. It's not like this is a private matter. They know about this already.
There's "what everybody knows," and then there's the official record. Don't be intimidated by their corruption. If decent people don't find a way to make their position a part of the public record, then these indecent senators will manipulate the public record to portray their position as the national consensus.
Make your position part of the record, no matter how futile they want you to believe it is.
And DEFINITELY follow Michelle's excellent example, of sending copies to the ICC, of the letters that you send to the state bars of these attorneys. It helps. You'll be giving the ICC tangible evidence that the senators do not speak for the American public (which they can pick up and wave in a senator's face, if they so choose).
Senators are literally using threats to obstruct international justice. You're right, and they're wrong. Be bold.
Amjad, a defeatist attitude is counterproductive. At times, even demoralizing. Ironically, I’m hopeful and grateful. Let’s support Michelle and Richard. Kudos to both! Join me in a virtual applause.
Agree, as a Palestinian struggling my whole life I do feel defeated at times. Thanks for the kick in the noggin.
You're an excellent example.
I cant believe how Zionism has infiltrated the US. This is an overwhelming threat to our supposed Democracy as well as our Constitution. Something must be done.
1776 - Independence from British tyranny
2024 - Independence from Zionist/AIPAC tyranny
2024: We ALL had better get the apathetic 1/3 of all US-eligible voters to exercise their power to vote! for whomever you wish. Just vote. Everybody who can vote, must vote. Do not sit this one out!
The freedom of the regular citizen is at stake (I'm talking to you, poor white MAGA!!!).
In a Putinesque system (that means "Russia-type government") one person at head of enterprise with no checks and balances to quell one's nafs, you only thrive if you walk to the dark side and work with the criminals posing as government. The un-rich and connected low-level MAGAs all scream about FREEDOM - you will lose it, my children, with TrumpDumpty , unless you join and embrace the MOB. See, e.g., Sen. TIM SCOTT. https://twitter.com/SenatorTimScott .... @senatortimscott .... HOLY scheisen!! imho yitb
Stop using the word Zionism! It’s racist whether you know it or not. Israelis going anywhere. If you want to be constructive, then support a two state solution, instead of a pipe dream of believing Israel can be driven into the sea. Israel is a nuclear nation, and will destroy the entire Middle East before it surrenders to anyone.
And support for Israel, not Zionism, has been a staple in US relations going back to its formation. So whatever, your belief, at least be realistic or pragmatic.
I do not support Netanyahu or his right-wing government, but I have equal disdain for Hamas and every other Islamic terror group in the region.
And if you think Hamas are truly hero’s, then maybe you should ask the 75% of the Palestinian people who didn’t support Hamas, or believes they are a legitimate government or party. They rule by terror and fear.
If Israel is an occupying force, which they are, then so is Hamas. They haven’t held an election since 2006, when it won its only election with 35% of the vote.
The Palestinian Authority ran too many candidates for each parliamentary seat and they ended up cannibalizing each other; handing the government over to terrorists, bent on Israel’s destruction.
No one here thinks Hamas are heroes. Zionism isn’t a racist term. It’s an ideology.
Zionism is an ideology, but the way it’s being used by the Pro-Palestinian movement is racist, because they don’t believe Israel should exist (from the river to the sea). Israel isn’t going anywhere. And Israel is no more an ideology than the Palestinian’s aspirations of a homeland.
Let’s remember, before the 67’ War, Israel proper was controlled by Britain. Gaza was controlled by Egypt, and The West Bank and Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan. There was never a Palestinian state because both Egypt and Jordan were against giving up any land to the Palestinians.
The UN declared a Palestinian state, side by side with Israel. Regardless of belief, the Palestinians never had a state prior to the UN mandate. And the international community is not going to displace Jewish people from the state they declared as the state of Israel.
If we want to claim rights, we’d have to go back to the times of the Babylonian’s and the first mass exodus. And Jews always came back. Even after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Jews and Muslims fought along side each other during the Christian crusades, before the Jews were slaughtered or expelled again. It’s been a vicious cycle of displacement and death for all.
I believe in a Palestinian state, but both people’s future are tied together. Believing you can force 8 million Jews from Israel proper, in itself, would be a genocide as well.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free doesn’t mean that Israeli people will in any way suffer. That’s not revenge, it’s liberation. It’s like claiming that the end of apartheid South Africa implied that the white population there would face oppression. That’s not racist. Being against white supremacy isn’t racism against white people. This is the same thing.
The origins of the chant are embedded in Hamas charter. “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free is laced with genocidal intent.
Its origins started in 1966, when the Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of the country’s current dictator, said: “We shall only accept war and the restoration of the usurped land … to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”
Hamas has claimed the slogan in their rejection of Israel in the mid 1990’s during the Oslo Peace negotiations.
So regardless of your intent, it has a more nefarious meaning for those committed to Israel’s destruction.
IMHO…:)
To be clear, being against Zionism and the settler colonial state that is Israel doesn’t mean that the people living in these lands would face oppression. I’m against Zionism and staunchly support the rights of all the people in these lands. I’d love for antisemitism and Zionism to disappear into the annals of history. The pro-Palestinian chant is not originally nor mostly used as a call to oppress Israelis. That some Palestinian extremists have used it this way means that those people are misusing the term. The college students and everyone else supporting Palestinians that use the chant want the liberation of Palestinians from Israeli oppression, not to reverse that oppression back to the millions of Israeli people.
The idea that oppressed people asking to be liberated want revenge as a general goal is in itself rooted in racism. This rhetoric was used by slaveowners, Americans and Canadians invading Native American and First Nation’s people’s land, pro-apartheid South African settlers, and now by pro-Israel talking heads.
Usually it's land and treasure the US coveted, disguised as a Christian mission - Manifest Destiny. Gold and land as God's reward for subduing the "savages."
Don't forget the Doctrine of Discovery out of the Pope that DECLARED AS TRUTH that lands without Christians are "unoccupied" and may be "discovered" and taken. Non-Christians were colonized into the discovering rulers. The Papal Bull of the Vatican so declared in 1493, not ironically, one year after Columbus bumped into the Western Hemisphere. The Church's current Pope Francis finally formally rescinded The Doctrine of Discovery in March 2023, a mere 503 years after it first hit the market. If only history could snap its fingers..... A brilliant analysis suggests the Doctrine, issued before Christians and Catholics separated into two in 1517ish, is a/[The?] Hidden Root of White Supremacy. Clearly, it is there for all too see, once it is brought to light. Check out robertpjones.substack.com. yitb
“The pro-Palestinian chant is not originally nor mostly used as a call to oppress Israelis. That some Palestinian extremists have used it this way means that those people are misusing the term.”
The origins of the chant are embedded in Hamas charter. “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free is laced with genocidal intent.
Its origins started in 1966, when the Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of the country’s current dictator, said: “We shall only accept war and the restoration of the usurped land … to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”
Hamas has claimed the slogan in their rejection of Israel in the mid 1990’s during the Oslo Peace negotiations.
So regardless of your intent, it has a more nefarious meaning for those committed to Israel’s destruction.
IMHO…:)
"From the river to the sea" is a Likud statement. Hamas charter does not use the phrase. Please stop saying that the phrase is "laced with genocidal intent" (unlike Bebe's Amalekites reference). Maybe just referencing the Hamas charter intent for dissolution or extinction of the State of Israel would be just as effective?
Not sure what source you used, but the slogan has its origins before the establishment of the Israeli state by Zionists. It was then used by the PLO in the 60s for them wanting a state which encompassed the occupied territories which did include removing the Israelis currently living there. Moving people forcibly is genocidal in nature, but given that at the time many of those calling for that were literally driven out of their homes, I understand the sentiment. The usage of the term has a varied range and seems often relies on context. The term has also been used by Netanyahu to insinuate that Israel will occupy the entire land.
In the context I and many others for Palestine use it in, it includes or insinuates “Palestine will be free.” As in we want an end to the occupation and peace for all people within it. You can’t just claim that pro-Palestine protesters have nefarious intent and are using it that way because you’re just demonizing a whole movement and excluding crucial context of the actual goals.
Did anyone listen to the Israeli chants about the Arabs? I can't hear you talking about it !
Did some read the charter of the running likud party!
It's not racist to use the term. It could be argued that the idea is a racist idea. Anti-Zionist Jews have made it clear that they use that term for themselves. It is a POLITICAL position. It is "racial" in that it defines a political identity for a socio-cultural-religious identity. People's views on the political project of a Jewish State run the gamut - one state (no more strictly Jewish definition of citizenship), two-state, or undecided. There doesn't seem to be an ethical dispute over the position that all people who subscribe to Judaism ought to be able to practice their religion in peace all over the world, regardless of any political borders in place. What seems to be a problem, however, is the litany of excuses that arise when the assertion is made that Palestinian people have the right to exist in peace, wherever they may be existing, and especially in the location where they have already been existing for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Everyone needs to examine these terms and their usage. What is a problem is the use of money and weapons by both governments and individuals in enforcing the restriction of basic human rights to a specific group of people and using the term "terrorism" to deflect scrutiny from the root causes of the conflict at hand. "Semitic" actually refers to all people who speak a semitic language. In modern times, that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and others. Even Wikipedia has a robust explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languages People who want to contest that "semitic" only includes "Jewish" people are just claiming an anti-factual colloquialism that is a reflection of their unwillingness to learn, grow, and change through examination of the facts. In America, keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of the population over Age 55 has NOT gone to college. And most college graduates do not continuously read or learn or even maintain open, inquiring minds. What has changed is the QUALITY of education at both high school and college, not to mention the current events influencing each generation's focus. Hence, the younger generations having a more informed view that is more thoroughly documented than for previous generations. Another piece feeding into this situation is that Israel's own "New Historians" didn't start publishing until the 1980s. Their work was not readily available in America until after that. So we are struggling with GENERATIONS who are ignorant of the documented evidence that was brought to light by these scholars. Of course, there is also "white" and Christian bigotry in play. There are plenty of Jews/Israelis who embrace the term "Zionist" with full clarity that they want a land for Jews only. They want citizenship of that land to be defined by Judaism. They are not hiding from this term or the idea that there should be a nation state that is restricted to those who belong to the Jewish identity. Meanwhile, Americans should question why so many of our tax dollars are going to such a project when it is one that is wholly antithetical to the equality that we have struggled to build here.
Two actual states or one state and one glorified NGO or American Indian reservation?
Two states each with their own territorial sovereignty. They split the resources and land.
Israel has never agreed to give a future Palestine territorial sovereignty, but insists on maintaining a military presence there. It also refuses to give Palestinians the right of return as it is specified in the Geneva Conventions.
Agreed, but that is Netanyahu’s and his fascist government’s position, not the state of Israel. Both sides were close to an agreement during the Oslo Accords. It can be reached today.
When this war ends, the world needs to intervene like it did after’WW2, and force a settlement regardless of what either side wants.
Otherwise, it’s rinse, lather repeat: and the next incursion will be two to three years away. Only deadlier and more costly for both sides.
There is no winning for either side; just varying degrees of losers. Any victory by either side would be pyrrhic…:)
I empathize with your views and I know your right that Hamas is worthless politically and culturally. I also realize that we may have different definitions of what racism is in that I view Netanyahu as an American racist and that his views are based on a peoples' melanin content. I would like to see Palestine AND Israel share the land from the river to the sea but it's not going happen in my lifetime but in the lifetimes of the people that call that shared land home.
I agree with you. Netanyahu and his right-wing fascist government is no better than Hamas, but saner minds need to prevail. Otherwise, both are doomed, but the Palestinians will suffer more in the short run.
Uhh..., is "American racist" a type, a category, a pejorative? ... What meaning has it when referencing Netanyahu, apparently the big boss in Israel right now. Able to ignore the chants from the street to "knock it off." Hanging on fully, first and only for himself.
Should Israel exist or not is a question that anyone should/must ask. We are here to challenge and discuss all ideas. Israel being a nuclear nation does not give it the right to steal land / kill people / ... do whatever it wants. Because if so, every nuclear nation, can invade a non-nuclear nation and do the same and tell the world not to ask any question about its existence. For me : asking people not to question "Israel existence" is part of the propaganda narrative.
I never said being a nuclear nation gives anyone the right to kill or oppress. I’m just stating that for those whose goal is the destruction of Israel, it’s unrealistic.
Israel is also the third largest economy in Western Asia after Turkey and Saudi Arabia. They are the most technologically advanced nation in the region. Its education is the best in the region. International capital for the tech sector is only second to Silicon Valley.
My point is for all of us to push for a two state solution, because whether we like it or not, their fates are tied together…:)
You wrote "Israel is a nuclear nation, and will destroy the entire Middle East before it surrenders to anyone". This is the sentence I was referencing.
The two state solution is illusional. How can you share a land with someone who has already stolen 85% of it? Have you seen the settlements? Have you seen the number of armed settlers? ... etc. What will be the borders of this two-state solution? A new concentration camps? ... Come on !
I understood Jared & friends were planning condos for Gaza AND the West Bank.
It would be based on the original UN partition with land swaps to create a continuous land border between Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Any solution won’t be easy, but what’s the alternative? Israel picks up and leaves? That is the pipe dream. Like it or not, this is the only outcome that doesn’t lead to additional death and destruction.
In my opinion and observations, the two state solution has always been a farce to maintain the Zionist status quo. Could you imagine if South Africa created two states within one. White people over here and indigenous black people over there. Nothing would have changed. Only lines drawn.
The PA is just as corrupt as Hamas. Zionism, by the was, is not racist.
Google: "Zionism. European Jewish movement of the 1860s and 1870s that argued that Jews return to their holy land; eventually identified with settlement in Palestine. World Zionist Organization. Founded by Theodor Herzl to promote Jewish migration to and settlement in Palestine to form Zionist state. Western Front."
I’m familiar with that. But it was the most recent return of many. My point: Jews have returned for millennia after being forcibly removed during several mass exodus’s.
I’m not saying the use of the word Zionism is in itself racist, but many people commenting have used the phrase “dirty zionists”, which is a slur and used as a racist dog whistle; no different than the phrase “from the river to the sea.”
Good luck you have to overhaul the judicial system....
The so-called “rules-based” international order is such a fucking joke.
These are US senators, who are supposed to uphold the laws! Very shameful that these politicians are so desperate to save Natanyahoo, the war criminals of the 21st century, that they started bullying the ICC judges! Why does ICC exist? Because of what happened to Jewish people in Germany! Now the rules changed? Because they do not like the Middle East? This is a laughable act on mature politicians! The very people, who are supposed to protect unarmed civilians are giving the green light to RAFA invasion! In the name of democracy, how many countries are invaded? Do your math! Disgusting acts by these so-called protectors of law and order!
Thus is "the party of law and order." 🤡
“In a terse, one-page letter obtained exclusively by Zeteo, and signed by 12 GOP senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Florida’s Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz of Texas, Khan is informed that any attempt by the ICC to hold Netanyahu and his colleagues to account for their actions in Gaza will be interpreted “not only as a threat to Israel’s sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States.”
Move along folks, nothing to see here. These imbeciles are “All Pomp, and No Circumstance!” Last I checked, Biden is President and democrats control the senate.
These shenanigans are more reason the protesting college students need to rethink their positions against Biden, since a Trump win, and republicans retaking the senate, will have dire consequences for the US and world.
And consider what happens to the courts should Trump win and republicans retake the senate? Trump will secure a Republican fascist court for the next four decades, and also control every circuit and district court in the country.
They will rule by judicial fiat, regardless of whether democrats ever take over the executive branch and Congress. Any major legislation will be tied up in the courts for years, even after the presidency is over. Let that sink in.
What’s happening in Gaza is atrocious, but a Trump presidency will mean far worse things to come for all of us. Register and Vote Blue down the ticket in November; our lives depend on it!…:)
Can you point to a single act by Joenocide Biden that has actually resulted in some behavior changes in this genocide?
I am fully committed to hold Joenocide Biden and all Congressmen/women accountable next Nov for their complicity in this genocide.
When did Biden become president of Israel???
He is not a president of Israel, he is a puppet of Israel
Well, at least you have a marginal sense of reality, eh? Lol
No, it’s just you believe Presidents have more power than they do. They are responsible for holding international coalitions together, for which Israel is a major player in the region.
You need to get off your high horse because it’s childish. As Benjamin Disraeli (PM of Britain in 1860) said, “Countries have no friends, only interests.”
Don’t honestly believe any country when it believes its survival is at stake, will ever submit to another’s ultimatums?
Look no further than Ukraine. We convinced them to give up all 20k nukes (third largest stockpile in the world at the time) after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1993 (Bucharest Memorandum); with Russia, France, Britain and China as signatories. It guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty over its existing territory.
They agreed, and look at them now? In America, we have elections every four years for President; they are renters, not owners of the Whitehouse.
Every country in the world knows that the next administration could rip up an agreement, or negate treaties negotiated by the previous administration. See Trump and the JCPOA, NAFTA, Paris Accords, etc…
So please wake up and understand what’s truly at stake with this election.
I would not know where to start with your many fallacies.
"Presidents have more power than they do. They are responsible for holding international coalitions together"
No, Presidents are responsible to up hold the rule of law and as for the international coalition go, multiple UN votes have proven where the International community stand and the US is the only one opposing their will.
"As Benjamin Disraeli (PM of Britain in 1860) said, “Countries have no friends, only interests.”"
Only a Zionist will argue that complicity in a genocide is in the interest of the USA.
"Don’t honestly believe any country when it believes its survival is at stake, will ever submit to another’s ultimatums?" Yet another Zionist/AIPAC propaganda that the survival of Israel is at stack. The only thing in reality that is at stack is the continuation of an illegal OCCUPATION.
"Every country in the world knows that the next administration could rip up an agreement, or negate treaties negotiated by the previous administration. See Trump and the JCPOA, NAFTA, Paris Accords"
Again by your own notion, you have proven that this system that we have been operating under has been unreliable and untrustworthy since it is only good for 4 years. Not to mention that the system has become so corrupt that is hard to tell apart a Democrat from a Republican.
What world do you live in? Biden doesn’t want a genocide, but countries are only willing to commit so much to a cause, unless it includes a national interest.
We didn’t defend the Tutsi’s in Rwanda from the Hutu’s in the mid 90’s because we didn’t have a national interest to do so; allowing the slaughter of almost a million people in six months. It’s called realpolitik. It may not be right, but it’s reality.
And really? You don’t want to support a genocidal country? Are you on TikTok? Do you buy Chinese goods from Amazon or any American company? Because guess what? Most of our goods are produce in China and China is committing a genocide against their own people.
Have you Ever heard of the Uyghurs? There’s a genocide occurring as we speak by the Chinese.
Have you been to Myanmar (formally Burma)? Guess what? A genocide has been happening for over a decade. Where in the world or UN for that matter?
How about the 500k massacred in Ukraine by an invading Russian force? Nothing? Or how about when Assad killed over 500k Syrian’s during the Arab Spring? What’s a matter? Nothing? No outrage?
How about Durfur? There is a genocide taking place right now: where’s your outrage? These people are Muslim too. How about Yemen? Are you boycotting Iran or the Saudi’s or UAE? I didn’t think so, just the Jewish state of Israel.
Get back to me when you show the same outrage for the people of these countries as you do for the Palestinians. Except you won’t, and don’t. It’s all about the filthy Zionist Jews with you.
Good luck with your faux outrage for one of many wars that have brought famine, pestilence and death to so many people across several continents. You’ll neeed it!
Figuratively, approximately 30 years ago. Please review Biden’s extensive political record.
During his career, he has often prioritized the interests of Israel ahead of the interests of the U.S., notwithstanding the fact that there was no “upside” for the U.S. or Middle East peace and his decision to do so often put Americans around the world in unnecessary danger or caused them to be killed. The current conflict is a case in point— three Americans are confirmed dead and it’s believed that five are still being held hostage.
In any event, the U.S. president has a great deal of leverage over Israel’s PM. More so than any other leader in the world. Remember when Ronald Reagan made one call to Netanyahu regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon? One phone call is all it takes if the true intention of the U.S. president making the call is, in fact, to cause Israel to reverse course.
The U.S. provides Israel with nearly $4 billion in aid every year and tens of billions every time Israel takes extended military action against one of its neighbors— just two weeks ago, the U.S. approved $26 billion in aid to Israel. In addition, the U.S. regularly provides Israel with political cover at the U.N., through the exercise of its UNSC veto power— which it has used 46 out of 85 times to block resolutions critical of, or unfavorable to, Israel. And, at times, the U.S. did so when Israel was in clear violation of international law.
All Biden has to do in order to force Israel to reverse course is pick up the phone and tell Netanyahu that the U.S. will no longer defend, fund, arm or provide political cover to Israel if offensive operations continue— but Biden refuses to do it despite the displacement of approximately 1.4 million civilians, 35K dead, 78K maimed and injured, horrific atrocities and catastrophic destruction.
“In any event, the U.S. president has a great deal of leverage over Israel’s PM. More so than any other leader in the world. Remember when Ronald Reagan made one call to Netanyahu regarding Israel’s actions in Lebanon? One phone call is all it takes if the true intention of the U.S. president making the call is, in fact, to cause Israel to reverse course.”
It was a different time. And Israel didn’t leave because of Reagan, they had suffered its most serious casualties since the Yom Kippur War, and was already in retreat since the South Lebanon Army (its ally) had collapsed at the time.
And don’t even go there with Reagan. After Hezbollah bombed our Marine Barracks in Beirut and our Embassy, it was the US who left in disgrace. And instead of going after Hezbollah, Reagan invaded Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean.
And 30 years of Biden policy was no different than any other politician at the time. Biden may support Israel against your liking but Kushner is personal friends with Bibi. Bibi used to stay at Kushner’s family home in NJ when Bibi was the opposition leader.
Look what Trump did in office. He allowed Israel to annex the Golan Heights. He made Jerusalem Israel’s capital and allowed Netanyahu to implement its most draconian policies ever.
So go ahead and vote for a third party, or not at al, but do so at your own peril, because in the end, it’s democrats that are willing to help the Palestinians, not republicans.
Netanyahu doesn’t even solicit the support of most American Jews because his greatest champions in the US aren’t Jewish (outside of a few powerful billionaires); they’re the Evangelicals.
And the Evangelicals believe that Israel needs to control all of Judea and Samaria before the rapture occurs. Then both Jew and Muslim alike, are going to hell.
So good luck with that, you are digging your own grave..:)
I didn’t make any claims about Trump or Kushner, both of whom I consider to be ignorant, narcissistic sociopaths who only care about money and power, nor did I suggest I would sit out the next election or vote for a third party candidate.
I disagree, the Democrats aren’t “willing to help the Palestinians.” They say they are, but they’re not. And Biden certainly has no interest in helping them. Several who have worked closely with him for years have said that he listens to reports and intelligence but seldom expresses any interest in, or compassion for, how the Palestinians are treated or forced to live by Israel.
If the Democrats were serious about improving the lives of the Palestinian people, they’d have been diligently working toward implementing a two state solution or, at a minimum, improving relations between Israel and the PA during the past 25 years. They should have used a carrot and stick approach with Israel— up to and including major changes in U.S.-Israel policy. Instead, they’ve been sitting on their hands and, worse, supporting everything Israel has done with full knowledge that Netanyahu had no intention of ever agreeing to a two state solution and, in fact, was doing everything in his power, whether legal or illegal, to ensure that would never happen including, without limitation, stealing Palestinian land, building settlements at a record pace, paying Hamas obscene sums of money in order undermine and weaken the PA under the theory of divide and conquer.
The Democrats know that Israel is a lawless, anti-democratic state and Netanyahu is a corrupt, pathological liar who only cares about staying in power and out of prison, yet most of them fully embrace both at the expense of the Palestinian people. Actions speak louder than words.
“If the Democrats were serious about improving the lives of the Palestinian people, they’d have been diligently working toward implementing a two state solution or, at a minimum, improving relations between Israel and the PA during the past 25 years.”
Democrats tried and failed, both in the 90’s and in the early 2000’s. Somehow you believe that America alone can solve this issue, when it’s the two parties that have failed to arrive at an agreement.
I’m done trying to explain what happens when Trump wins and it will be people like you that will be the blame.
First off, you guys are on your own. Any sympathy that many of us with Experion life is gone. And when you get the government you deserve, you’ll get it good and hard.
And progress this country will have made will go back decades. Education, women reproductive rights. Freedoms as you know it, all gone.
So good luck with your protest. I’m sure your little movement will make all the difference. It won’t, except it could hand the presidency to Trump.
Remember Vietnam? The protests then dwarfed this movement, and guess what? The war didn’t end and it was an American War, not a foreign nation’s war.
It did put Nixon in the Whitehouse though, and he went on to expand the war further; for six more years.
I’m glad you brought that up about Evangelical Christians belief that Israel must control all of Judea & Samaria so that the “Rapture” can occur. I only just learned that little tidbit about 6-8 months ago.
Do devout Catholics also hold that belief? If so, perhaps that, in addition to massive amounts of donations from AIPAC, colors his very favorable stance toward Israel.
I only recently heard Biden refer to himself as a Zionist & I was dismayed at that.
There have been some excellent comments on this article, I almost always learn something from reading them. I also wish the Israelis & Palestinians could just share the the entire area & share governance, but I realize that is likely a pipe dream.
It is so disheartening to think about all of the billions in aid that has been sent to Gaza over the years & knowing that probably a vast majority of it was spent building those 500 miles of concrete tunnels.
What kind of flourishing society could have been built with that money??
I have said that I am going to vote uncommitted in the *primary* to register my anger at Biden for not being tougher on Netanyahu, but will vote Biden in the general because we just cannot survive another Trump administration. The disaster of allowing more extremely conservative religious judges to get appointed to Federal lifetime positions is horrifying & will stymie any forward progress for decades.
We just can’t let that happen.
Biden is not the leader of any country except for the USA. He can talk to other nations, send delegations of peace speakers, but in the end other nations are sovereign and do what they wish.
I don't think many people believe that. More like Netanyahu runs the US via AIPAC. He snaps his fingers and ol' Joe writes the checks. I hope he's been practicing writing his zeroes!
If you do not vote for Biden, and IF Trump wins, you will have your voice SILENCED. IF you are female you will be relegated, along with black and brown people, to the back of the bus. So, have your protests, peacefully, because today it is your right. However, when November comes THINK about what you are about to do - what you are giving up and how it will affect yourself and other around you.
"If you do not vote for Biden, and IF Trump wins, you will have your voice SILENCED"
For one thing you don't know that for sure and a scare tactic goes to show that your side does not have much to offer. Secondly, my voice is already being SILENCED. Have you noticed to what is happening in our schools, our work place? How many people have lost their jobs, their livelihood just because they raised their voice. So what you are scaring people of is already happening.
I don't know what your statement about "your side" is meant to purvey, but I would ask you how your voice has been silenced? I do know what is going on at my local schools and I'm proud of the brilliant minds that are being brought into society through graduation. With the mind-boggling number of new jobs that have been created recently, I venture to guess you are talking about people who corporations have dealt with. I am certain that some of them get away with dismissing people for unacceptable reasons, but except for during the former administration, "whistleblowers" have always been protected.
I was not attempting to scare anyone, but I did state the obvious. If you have time read the Project 2025 and the interview in the April 30, 2024, Times Magazine, you can get a glimpse of what is being planned should Biden not win reelection.
No, I am not talking about economy but silencing the critics of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We heard today that about 2500 students nation wide has been arrested for their peaceful protest. We know countless of journalist have been fired for questioning Israeli narrative of this war, Mehdi Hasan has been one of them who now you have joined his platform since his firing and the so many who have lost their job. In the Congress we saw passing a law supported by both parties that will criminalize any criticism of Israel. If these are not silencing our voices, I am not sure what it would be.
I fully understand what tRUMP stands for but I have also learned what Biden stands.
'Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me'
The trouble with that, is who else are you going to vote for? The U.S. election system is rigged in favor of the two party system so the citizens are damned if they do and damned if they don't. The end is nigh for the empire of the United States.
That's the pickle a lot of us are in. Do we hold our noses and vote for Biden? I have rarely voted FOR a politician. I vote against them. But we have two very shitty choices this time.
It is not “rigged” - third party candidates always run but have not been popular.
A metaphor. I agree, they can run but the deck seems to be always stacked against them for power reasons. Now, if someone had enough millions to outspend the other two parties, they might stand a better chance but when have we ever seen that. Maybe we ought to change that given what the two parties are giving us for candidates?
Terrance: look at all other countries. It always seems to be a matter between the conservative and liberal way of thinking and values. The role of money is really the huge problem in terms of how campaigns operate. In the US it is such a long period that there is no way one can run it with no funds. I wish they would go to what the UK does by limiting it to six weeks.
I wish that too my friend. So do a lot of us here.
"The U.S. election system is rigged in favor of the two party system "
If you truly believe that, which I do, any vote in this system is a vote to legitimize it.
If my only choices are these two corrupt party, then for the first time I will refuse to participate to help legitimizing it.
Delusion to think you legitimize it by not voting. You are supporting trump that way.
You are entitled to your opinion.
So are you. But facts speak for themselves. Voting is a civic responsibility which one assumes if one lives in a society.
When it comes to having another party to put forth a candidate, someone commented on a thread or in an article I read, that it takes a foundation being built. People have to start by electing people from that party to county commissioner, state representatives & senators, then to Federal offices. A third party is never going to win by just floating a candidate for the top spot, president, every 4 yrs. So, whether it’s the Green Party or another that you like better, you & those who join you have to learn to play the long game to achieve the prize; just like the anti abortion, anti Affirmative Action conservatives did over the last 40 years to get all the current district, appellate, & Supreme Court justices in place to get them the decisions they wanted.
And after you hold Biden responsible and help secure a Trump victory, then what? Do you think you will ever be in a position to hold Trump accountable?
The DOJ can’t even hold him accountable when democrats are in charge, yet you think you will have any rights left after Trump assumes office and destroys the Republic as we know it?
Good luck with that, and quite frankly you naïveté is going to backfire and all of us will pay, but especially our liberal youth.
And in the end, you will have no one else to blame but yourself. And don’t expect the rest of us to give a damn either!
If I am going to self sensor and not hold a genocide-enabler President accountable, then why would it matter if I am not going to be able to hold the next president accountable or not. By your logic, I do have that ability now and refuse to use it in the fear that I MIGHT not have the ability in the feature.
"and destroys the Republic as we know it" This by itself may be a worthy goal as "this republic as we know it" has been ever more so dysfunctional for the ordinary people and frankly, due to abuse of its power, for much of the world. So, it might be better to accelerate this decay of our system so it can be rebuilt better and sooner.
“It might be better to accelerate this decay of our system so it can be rebuilt better and sooner”. Do you have any idea of what you are speaking of? 100% lack of a realistic take…
It might be unrealistic but I believe it is patriotic.
“A fast and complete decay”? You clearly are a heartless, naive boy-man, without children or family to care about. And if you do they’re faith is misplaced citizen. Revolution and chaos sound great to the young and the idealist and the incel adjacent chest thumping glory seeker, but this type is the enemy of civilization and of humanity at the end of the day, and the enemy of a unified working class people. Since the time Thucydides first wrote up his account of the Peloponnesian War NO ONE who can read can say they haven’t been warned about what civil war and prolonged violent social conflict does to reduce men and women and their behavior to include the most disgusting, vile and depraved acts and policies. THAT is what your stupid suggestion advocates for. Go read it. Thucydides is restrained in his description but simply take the simple descriptive words at their literal meaning and just imagine for yourself what they describe. Horrific. Years of it. So people who think like you are dangerous enemies of the rest of us, who want to achieve goals … not tear each other apart in the name of some distant goal.
The ideal path forward is never to be found in violent palingenesis. Alliance is nuanced and requires patience with firm commitment to values and to a group sometimes larger and more varied than just that which your single issue focus might indicate. Anyone that advocates for the rapid decay into chaos of the society in which I LIVE in order to further the agenda of a place in which I DO NOT LIVE is no friend of mine. You’re foolish enough to bring deeper misfortune upon yourself here, and by doing so risk my children and ME, an otherwise committed ally to your cause thanks only to your zeal? Think again citizen. Enlarge your view and perhaps you might yet achieve the goal you seek. But lashing out at whomever happens to be prominent and nearby to you when you’re feeling vexed is … well … childish. Better grow up and consider the situation in its complexity before using what power you do have, if you’re to use it effectively.
A long rant to blame me instead of those who are actually causing the decay. Very heartful, smart and sophisticated man-man you are.
P.S. I did not bother to read pass this rant.
💯💯💯
I am loosing faith in our system of justice that we talk so much about to rest of the world
There are many who feel that too. Too many in my generation who protested the Viet Nam War, marched for women’s rights, tried to have equal opportunities for all, started having families & careers & fell asleep at the wheel of politics & didn’t notice the Federalist Society & Leonard Leo quietly working to put all of these extremist conservative hyper-religious judges in place all over the country & in the scotus.
It is going to take decades to shift the courts back toward a more liberal view. In the meantime, many will suffer the consequences.
USA has not even signed the ICC agreement, in which capacity do they act by, where do these people get their air from?! I
What a bunch of thugs. These are not senators they are mafia. They don’t support the rule of law in the US or internationally. And of course, because it relates to Palestinians, there are no lengths that these bloody hypocrites will go to deny their legitimate aspirations and rights.
I thought after reading this that perhaps this was a joke, but seeing tom cottonmouth and turd cruz as signatories, i knew it wasnt. This mafioso posturing is absolutely ridiculous. No wonder the world literally hates us. How embarrassing.
I am 100% sure that threatening a court is a crime in itself and therefore the ICC not only should issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his criminal Zionist cabinet thugs but also to to these American criminal Senators and thugs who are protecting Israel allowing it to continue with its genocide and war crimes in Palestine!
AIPAC is the head of the venomous Zionist snake and is a terrorist organization funding Criminal zionists like these American thugs who should be prosecuted and banned worldwide.
Free Free Palestine ❤️
Cornell West for President ❤️
It appears that the senators of the confederate fascists of Amerikkka are intent on covering the asses of the zionist fascists of Israel. These fake Americans have no concept or conscious because of their nationalistic fears. The people of Israel know what the problem is and are trying to rectify it. It's time for Americans to realize their elected officials need to be changed to prevent the morass of decline these grifting crooks are offering.
The fucking gall lmao
United States of Israel ... Ladies and gentleman.... Don't be surprised if a decade from now all laws and regulations in Israel is a standard practice in USA. I mean they already monitor you from your smart phones and all the picture you take with "AI" being a big thing now .. it's really really sad where everything is going.... May God help us all
Oh ffs
Once again the bully boys and girls of the US Senate unite to threaten the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court with "Consequences" if he issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu etc al. Despite not being signatories of said ICC these brave, upstanding cowards threaten and browbeat an officer of an International Court simply for doing his job. The jurisdiction has been legally established, and War Criminals like Netanyahu, Gvir and Smotrich must be held accountable for their Genocidal actions and Hate Speech against the captive Civilian Population of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. International law must be defended, and upheld. If not, we're all complicit in Mass Murder. Gaza has become one giant Mass Grave! Justice must prevail. Free Palestine.
The world is seeing in real time the true character of the US Congress and the US Government.
These people are shameless. They are charged with making laws and bringing justice and peace in this Judeo Christian America annd maybe the world. And like their mob bosses they are intimidating and threatening the courts. Like the genocidal hugger, are they all Zionists ? they seem to be licking the boots of Bibi. How shameful are these holders of high office in the super power, the USA. Total betrayal.